POTSDAM -- Robert L. Badger and Rebekah C. Covell were recently granted honorary lifetime membership in the SUNY Potsdam Alumni Association.

Badger was recognized for “his contributions to the college and the North Country as an educator, researcher and mentor,” according to a press release.

For nearly three decades, Badger “dedicated himself to SUNY Potsdam, positively affecting the lives of thousands of students, through his teaching, mentoring, research and proactive involvement in a variety of campus and community activities,” the release said.

Badger joined the faculty of the geology department in 1989, served as department chair from 2000 to 2014, and retired in June 2015.

He has been the recipient of more than 40 fellowships, awards and grants; has authored, co-authored or edited more than 50 publications; and has been a sought-after guest lecturer.

Also active within the campus community, Badger helped to develop a retention proposal for the college, and served as a member of the Teaching and Learning Committee, the Environmental Studies/Environmental Science Committee and as co-chair of Kristin Esterberg's Presidential Inauguration Committee.

Badger has led more than 20 field research and student service learning projects, all of which have had a lasting impact on the North Country, according to the release.

He also served as president of the New York State Geological Association in 2004 and 2005, and brought their annual meetings to Potsdam to showcase SUNY Potsdam’s students and the campus.

Badger also received the 2007 Chancellor's Award for Excellence in Academic Service.

In 2009 he was named a Fellow by the Geological Society of America. He also received the Campus Fundraising Volunteer of the Year Award in recognition of his ongoing fundraising efforts for the college's “Take the Lead Campaign,” to which he and his wife, Carolyn, are personal donors.

In 2010 he received the Award of Merit from the Vermont Historical Society.

“Badger inspired countless students both in and out of the classroom, pushing them to excel in their passions. He was deeply invested in each student's education, ensuring that they had the best experience possible while at Potsdam, so that they could succeed both academically and in their personal lives,” the release said.

Covell was recognized for “her pioneering spirit, and the impact and legacy of her 25-year teaching career at SUNY Potsdam's Crane School of Music,” according to a separate press release.

In 1971 Covell joined the SUNY Potsdam faculty to direct the college's Green Band. Not only was she the first female band conductor in Potsdam's history, she was the first woman to conduct a band anywhere in the nation.

Covell led what eventually became known as the Crane Symphonic Band, and they performed their first concert in the newly built Helen M. Hosmer Concert Hall when it opened in 1973, even though curtains had not yet been installed.

Perhaps the proudest moment of her career came in 1980, when as a member of the College's Olympic Organization Committee, she led the Crane Symphonic Band during the nightly awards ceremonies at the Winter Olympics in Lake Placid.

Covell led the band through 14 performances over 14 days, often having less than an hour to rehearse an anthem before a performance in freezing temperatures.

She also proudly led the Crane band as team USA hockey was presented with a gold medal after their defeat of Finland.

During her tenure at Crane, she served as conductor of the Crane Symphonic Band and taught conducting, basic musicianship, theory and sight singing.

Additionally, she designed and developed the music business program. For her efforts, she received a President's Award for Excellence in Academic Advising in 1993.

In May 2013 Covell was invited to return to the college and conduct both the Crane Concert Band and Crane Symphonic Band.

As faculty emerita and a Potsdam College Foundation board member, Covell attends and has hosted the Alumni Association's annual Florida alumni gatherings in and around the Clearwater/Sarasota area.

She continues to support the college by serving as a member of the Foundation Board and generously provides financial support to the band program and the Crane facility, and assists current students in purchasing sheet music.

Honorary lifetime membership is presented to non-alums who have made exceptional contributions to the SUNY Potsdam Alumni Association and/or the college.